Michael Corleone shared many characteristics in common with his father, Vito, but even Marlon Brando's iconic character The godfather character would have refused to commit Michael's worst crime. Although Brando's swollen-jawed mob boss remains synonymous with Godfather film franchise, the overarching story was actually about Al Pacino's Michael, who reluctantly replaced his father as owner of the Corleone family. Of Vito's three sons - Sonny, Michael and Fredo - Michael was the closest to his father in personality, demonstrating intelligence, patience, coolness, cunning and leadership.
Like Vito, Michael occupied a middle ground between the impetuous Sonny and the gaffe-prone Fredo, and it was these similarities that made Vito's youngest son the ideal successor to the Corleone family. However, Pacino's protagonist was not a mere copy of his old man. Sometimes subtly, sometimes not so much, Michael Corleone evolved into someone markedly different from Vito, both in terms of his personal life and business interests. The godfatherThe separation between father and son is best demonstrated by Michael's darkest moment in the story - a situation that Vito would have reacted to very differently.
Fredo's murder was Michael Corleone's worst moment in the Godfather films
Michael never got over Fredo's death
The godfather hid much of the mafia obscurity of which the Corleone family was guilty. Given the nature of your business, however, one can assume that the murders and criminality orchestrated on screen were just the tip of a very unpleasant iceberg. It seems inevitable that Michael was responsible, directly or otherwise, for the deaths of several individuals not involved with the mob. In moral terms, one murder ordered by Michael is no more evil than the other. In the context of The godfatherFredo's story and the acts Michael committed on screen, however, Fredo's death was his worst sin.
It's one thing to lull an enemy into a false sense of security before making a move, but Michael used this trick on his own brother.
Showing no mercy to opponents was a fundamental principle of the Corleone family from the beginning, but so was loyalty to the family. This loyalty is precisely why Michael's decision to execute Fredo in retaliation for his betrayal must be considered his worst crime in all three. Godfather films. In your defense, Fredo was not fully aware of what his underhanded dealings would meanso although the middle brother deliberately betrayed Michael, there was no intention to cause harm.
Fredo's naive nature was exploited by Michael's enemies, and the situation escalated into something much bigger than Fredo wanted. Consequently, Fredo showed immense remorse after being exposed as a traitorand spent the days afterward trying valiantly to regain Michael's trust. Fredo's sincere attempt at redemption and the fact that he never actually sought to put Michael's life in danger make his death a difficult one. The Godfather Part IIis ending even more brutal, even for The godfatherThe bloody patterns.
It's one thing to lull an enemy into a false sense of security before making a move, but Michael used this trick on his own brother, making the decision to kill Fredo early on and ignoring all extenuating circumstances before seeing through his plan coldly. . Playing the long game makes Michael killing Fredo much worse, as the Don's immediate desire for revenge cannot be blamed. Michael made the choice to murder Fredo in The Godfather Part II in the same logical way he would decide on a deal.
Vito would never have made the same decision if he were in Michael's position
It is unlikely that Vito could have killed a brother
If the original Corleone had an older brother who committed an act of treason, would Vito have plotted his brother's murder or taken a different path? It's impossible to say for sure, but all the clues The godfather and The Godfather Part II suggest the latter. For starters, Vito has always exuded a more compassionate aura. Whether talking to grieving friends or attending a family wedding, Vito's capacity for murder and crime was hidden by his approachable demeanor. In contrast, Michael maintained a firmer, more detached personality all over The godfather Part II & Part III.
Make no mistake, Vito was still a callous killer - he reportedly ordered the death of Johnny Fontane's bandleader over a contract dispute. Still, several lines of The godfather suggest that Marlon Brando's character would have drawn the line by killing his own brother.
If Vito had been in Michael's position, he probably would have considered it sufficient to exile his brother from the business and place him under surveillance.
After speaking for the first time with Sollozzo, Vito reprimanded Sonny for acting up during the meeting, advising, "Santino, never let anyone outside the family know what you are thinking. I think your brain is softening."When Fredo made a similar mistake, Michael was much more severe, warning his brother,"Never take anyone's side against your family again." The two incidents were similar, but Vito clearly emerged as the most tolerant bossgiving Sonny a lesson where Michael made a threat.
A second example can be found during Vito's meeting with the heads of the Five Families of New York. Finally agreeing to enter the narcotics trade, Vito established certain rules that included keeping drug dealers away from schools. The scene typified Vito's moral limits, as well as his willingness to sacrifice profit for values. The Corleone family made more money during Michael's reign, but perhaps only because he abandoned the ethical boundaries espoused by his father, and that philosophy extended to the murder of a family member. The most convincing argument that Vito Corleone would not have killed his own brother, however, is that Fredo's death was completely unnecessary.
Vito's hands were bloody, but violence was usually his last resort - a sad reality of the business to be used only when other options fail. When Michael plotted Fredo's death, the decision was made partly out of revenge and partly to rule out future betrayal, but after Fredo accepted his guilt and attempted to make amends, he no longer posed a realistic risk to the Corleone family. If Vito had been in Michael's position, he probably would have considered it sufficient to exile his brother from the business and place him under surveillance, forgiving but never forgetting.
Michael Corleone's cruelty was a double-edged sword in The Godfather
Michael was successful... But at what cost?
It cannot be said that Michael's approach to managing the Corleone family has not produced results. After the reigns were passed from father to son, the wealth, power and influence of the Corleones multiplied many times over. Of The godfather to The Godfather Part IIIthe family went from dealing with drug suppliers to dealing with the Vatican, illustrating their immense rise, and Michael's unrelenting commitment to protecting his organization at all costs was a major factor in making this happen.
Unfortunately, Michael's methods came at a great cost. While Vito certainly carried the emotional weight of the sins he committed, Michael suffered a huge wave of guilt during The Godfather Part IIIregretting his past actions, but especially regretting Fredo. Michael gave in to the weight of this trauma, which visibly consumed him well into old age. Vito's conscience was far from clear, but having not murdered his own brother, it was clear enough for him to deal with the situation.
Michael's path ended up culminating in a very different ending than the one his father received. Considering that Vito Corleone died in the presence of his family during The godfatherIn the end, enjoying his retirement, Michael ended his story miserable and alone in The Godfather Part III. Francis Ford Coppola let the audience decide for themselves whether Michael's success in The godfather was worth the price, or whether he would have benefited by following his father's more compassionate example.